


Young Blood

by WakeUpDreaming



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: ?? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mild Smut, Past Quintis, flangst, terminal illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-27 10:59:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8399098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakeUpDreaming/pseuds/WakeUpDreaming
Summary: Megan is finally getting the opportunity to go to college, the same one as her brother Walter and his tech club Scorpion, and what a surprise she gets when she finds Happy there as her roommate. But it's nothing to compared to the other surprise Happy has in store for her.





	1. Change You Like a Remix

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katasstropheee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katasstropheee/gifts).



> Kat, without you, I would be lost in this fandom. You and your O'Quinn brilliance and your lovely gifs are so fun and exciting, and I am beyond grateful that you have allowed me to write a fic to go along with that photoset you made. You are outstanding! I'm sorry your birthday present is so late, but I hope it was worth the wait. 
> 
> @ Fall Out Boy thanks for the appropriate song lyrics for my titles.

Despite the first story dorm room, the afternoon-exclusive classes, and first pick for all courses, Megan has to complain, only a tiny bit.

Her roommate is incredibly hot and Megan hadn’t braced herself for it.

She peeks at the door again to check the name – could her name actually be Happy? That sounds a little unlikely, especially for the way that girl is looking. Roxy or Jade would have been Megan’s call. Or something like Ursula.

It’s not that Megan wasn’t prepared for something to go differently than expected. There had been a last minute change after her previous roommate had decided to commute from home. Disappointing, but not a deal breaker. Megan had thought it would be a non issue, that she’d be with someone cool and kind but also interesting enough that they could get along.

Hot was not in the cards. Hot is not something she can deal with in a socially appropriate manner.

“Hey,” says the girl on the bed, spotting Megan from the way she was very conspicuously peeking around the door, “you must be Megan.” Without looking over, she waves. She’s dressed in all black save for a purple tank top under her leather jacket. She looks good, but Megan has to wonder why someone would need to wear a leather jacket inside during a California September. Her leather boots are propped up against the wall, one leg bent and the other one tapping out a tune to some song that must be in her head.

“Yeah,” Megan says, smiling. “It’s good to meet you. Are you a freshman too?”

“Nope,” she says. “Sophomore. Happy Quinn. Mechanical and electrical engineering.” She finally looks over at Megan and grins. “Nerd central here.”

“You might know my brother then,” Megan says. “He’s in the engineering department too. Made a whole nerdy club about it.”

Happy laughs. “Oh, that,” she says. “Yeah, it’s more of a study group that gets ragingly drunk watching Lord of the Rings on the weekends while Walter makes us try and get work done.”

Megan’s eyes widen. “That sounds like my kind of club.”

Happy looks at her and smiles. “I think I’m going to like you, Megan O’Brien.”

Megan feels a blush creep across her cheeks, and she has to make herself break eye contact with Happy before she makes it awkward. “Right,” Megan blurts out. “Well, my family’s in the car ready to help me move in. Would you like them to wait until you get dinner, or…?” Megan trails off, unsure of how to proceed.

“No, I can help,” Happy says, jumping up. “Walter’s told me a lot about you, Megan O’Brien.”

Megan doesn’t want to admit it, but hearing Happy say her name sets off some butterflies in her tummy. Happy slides past her to the door and waits there.

“You coming?” Megan asks.

“Bring everything in here to me and I’ll bring it to the room,” Happy explains. “It’s a shorter trip than from the car to the room, and it’ll go faster.”

“Oh,” says Megan, “that makes a lot of sense. Okay.”

Walter bumps Happy’s fist when he walks into the dorm room, and they chat a little about what is apparently their heathen’s club as they unpack. Megan gets exhausted faster than she expects and faster than she wants, so she settles for observing and cheerleading from her desk chair as things are moved and unpacked.

Her dad tries to move the cabinet to allow for a mini fridge, but Happy walks in with a pile of boxes that looks way too heavy for anyone to carry and says, “Yeah, that’s screwed into the wall.”

“Oh,” says Megan’s dad, waving a screwdriver. “Well that would have been nice to know five minutes ago.”

Happy puts the boxes at Megan’s feet. “You read comics?”

Megan shrugs. “I dabble. It’s mostly Birds of Prey.”

“No Super Fun Guy?”

Megan shakes her head. “No, but I’m always interested in new comics.” She holds up her crutches. “Not many options for sports and physical activities with these things.”

Happy nods. “Well, if you ever want to get into those comics, just ask my friend Sly,” she offers. “He’s got a huge collection of comics and we’re always trying to get him to show them to other people. He needs more friends.”

Megan has to laugh at that one. “According to Walter, Scorpion is all a bunch of ridiculously smart kids hanging out and doing nothing.”

“Are you talking about me?” Walter asks breathlessly, putting down three fewer boxes than Happy had carried in.

Happy tosses a look over to him. “Are you a nerd?” she asks.

He considers it. “Technically I guess yes,” he replies. “Are you telling Megan about Scorpion?”

“Of course I am,” Happy says, grinning at him.

Megan giggles. “She’s being very welcoming,” Megan insists. For some reason she wants Happy to like her, and wants Walter to like that Happy likes Megan.

She feels herself blush and is about to ask Happy about something, anything to keep the conversation going, when her phone beeps – the theme song from Powerpuff Girls.

Megan wrinkles her nose, hating that she has to drop everything. “Medication time. Sorry about this.”

She digs through bags that had already been encroaching on Happy’s side of the room until she finds her medication, setting it on the windowsill.

“I have some,” she hesitates, “medical stuff going on. I’m sorry if it bothers you.”

“Bothers me?” Happy asks. “No, of course not. Everybody’s got a something going on, you know?”

It’s quiet for a few minutes as Megan makes sure she gets all her medication in order, Walter and their parents grabbing the last of Megan’s bags.

“Can I ask you something?” Megan hadn’t expected to hear Happy’s voice so soft.

Megan looks at her. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Why are you a freshman when you’re two years older than Walter?”

Megan purses her lips. She knew this was a question coming up, but, god, she hates explaining this.

“I’m sorry,” Happy says, “that totally went over the line. I’m sorry.” She winces, like she’s expecting Megan to hit her. “Shouldn’t have asked that.”

“No, it’s okay!” Megan assures her. “It’s just – I was really sick, right before I got diagnosed with MS. I missed almost a year’s worth of work, so,” she shrugs, looking anywhere but Happy’s face, “so I repeated my freshman year of high school to make sure my grades were reflective of what I can do.” She shrugs. “Also, so my attendance counted as me actually attending.”

Happy nods, looking just interested enough that Megan can’t hinder the impulse to explain it further.

“And then after I graduated high school,” Megan continues, “I took another two years – one in a clinical trial that Walter found for me – off. Wasn’t quite ready yet.” She holds onto the other fact – that they told her she didn’t have much longer, so, if she wanted a college experience, she needed to do it now. She has less time left than she wants. “So here I am, three years late.” She shrugs. “I’m really old for a freshman.”

Happy scoffs. “You’re not the oldest freshman this place has ever seen.”

Megan wants to ask more about that comment, wants to ask Happy about how she got here, but suddenly Walter walks in whining about the poor construction of the building and all the ways he could fix it, until Happy says, “Would you shut up for forty-five seconds?”

To Megan’s absolute astonishment, he does. “You are the only person other than me who’s ever been able to make him stop talking. I applaud you.”

“It’s a talent,” Happy replies airily.

Walter and their parents exchange awkward handshakes without even half the implication that they’ll be visiting Walter’s apartment on the other side of campus, the one he shares with Sylvester and a grad student who he met during one awkward incident where Walter hacked into the campus network.

Megan feels weird when they hug her and make a big fuss out of how much they’re going to miss her, while Walter waits just outside the door. She manages a look at Happy from over her mother’s shoulder, and Happy looks like she’s witnessing a murder.

“We’re going to miss you so much, sweetie,” Megan’s mother says, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You be sure to call if you need anything, okay?”

“Actually, Walter’s here, so I –”

“And don’t let anybody get in your way,” Megan’s dad interrupts. “You have so much to offer. Go out and show everyone.”

She nods. “Okay, thanks. I mean it. I appreciate your help.”

“We love you so much Megan, darling,” her mother says as she waves her way out of the bedroom. They barely acknowledge Walter.

“Well, that was awkward,” Happy says. “Anybody want to go to the dining hall for early dinner? I hear they’ve got mac and cheese pizza.”

Walter nods. “As long as we can have the table closest to the door. Sylvester won’t eat anywhere else.”

“Why not?” Megan asks, standing slowly.

Happy and Walter exchange a look. “Ever heard the term ‘germaphobic’?”

Megan nods.

“That’s an understatement when it comes to Sly.”

~

The first three weeks of classes, while hectic, go well. Megan and Happy are more than amicable, especially on Megan’s part, and she can’t stop looking at her. Happy has this tendency to walk into their room wearing a towel and nothing else. And then a tendency to drop the towel like it’s nothing. Megan has reread the same article on the Introduction to Linguistic Theory so many times she thinks she’s going to ace that part of her quiz on Thursday. If she can get the mental image of Happy dropping her towel out of her head long enough to access that information.

Though not discrete with her clothing, Happy doesn’t talk very often. She’s quiet and curled up most of the time, sleeping until eleven in the morning most days and going to the latest classes she can. Happy explained that she’s picked up a lot of astrophysics classes this year, which naturally fall late in the evening to allow for telescope access, but Megan isn’t sure how much of that she buys. Especially considering the number of times Happy’s read through books about learning creative writing. She hasn’t asked about that. Yet.

Her favorite part of college, so far, is going to Scorpion meetings with Happy and Walter. He’s apparently the leader, but it seems more like Happy runs the show and yells at him when he does something stupid. Which is way more often than Walter would want to admit, being a genius and all. Sylvester is a ray of sunshine, unless germs are involved, and Megan’s bonded with the only other non-genius in their group: Paige, a peer mentor assigned to the group to ensure academics are being completed, who gets Megan’s jokes and likes it that somebody else is there who understands how to relax.

The group’s goal for this year is a membership of more than five people. Megan thinks that’s a little sad, but she’ll help them, because any excuse to hang out with Happy other than just in their dorm is good enough for her. The go to dinner together a couple of times a week, but Happy mostly drinks her veggie juice as she’s walking out of the dorm, waving Megan off. Megan’s beginning to wonder if she’s living with a health nut.

That Friday afternoon, Megan’s alarm goes off for her medication while she’s in the middle of the club fair. The girl at the Pride booth looks confused for a moment.

“Is that Powerpuff Girls?”

“Yes,” Megan laughs nervously. “Yeah, I know it’s dorky, but –”

“It’s not dorky at all,” she laughs. “My ringtone is the Pinky and the Brain theme song. I get it.”

Megan fills out the information for the meetings and tries not to feel too awkward, then makes her way to the creative writing club, and the animation club, and then all of a sudden her head begins to spin and she realizes she’s an hour past her medication. Her handwriting has looked shaky for a couple of minutes, but it’s just now that she really understands why.

“I’m sorry,” she says to the nice guy running the animation booth. She does feel bad that she interrupted him mid-sentence, but she’s got a full quarter mile to walk back to her dorm room and there’s no way in hell she’s going to call Walter for help. “I – I need to go back to my dorm now.”

She hears him ask if she’s okay, but she can’t afford to respond. She just needs to get home.

“Okay,” she says, monitoring her breathing, “should have brought the backpack. Definitely should have brought the backpack.” Her pulse is up, she’s starting to get sweaty, and this might be the worst she’s felt since high school.

Thank god that at least the automatic door is working. But it feels like the most endless walk, exhaustion weighing on Megan like an anvil.

Unfortunately, though, when she opens the door, Happy screams, “Get out!”

Startled, Megan reels on her crutches, hardly able to process what’s being said. Happy has her back turned toward Megan, but she sees something bright red dripping onto their peace sign carpet. Megan is getting pissed with this whole juice thing. Especially since it looks like cheap tomato juice instead of the kale stuff Happy’s always bragging about.

“What?” Megan asks.

“Out!” It’s a shriek Megan’s never heard before, and startles her enough to stumble backward out of the room and fall to the floor next to their door as Happy slams it shut.

It’s ten minutes – she thinks – until Happy quietly says, “You can come in now.”

“Oh, thanks,” Megan grumbles, basically crawling into the room. “Thank you for being a giant douche and not letting me in the room. Could you at least get me my meds?”

Happy silently hands them to Megan with a bottle of water, and Megan takes them as quickly as she can.

And then it’s silent in there as Megan waits for an apology. She doesn’t get one.

“Okay, what is with you?” Megan asks, sitting down on her bed. Her medication container rattles loudly as it drops on the floor, loud enough that it visibly startles Happy.

Megan just stares. “So? Are you going to talk to me or what?”

Happy looks over at her. “I’m sorry,” she says, sounding sincere. “I didn’t mean to kick you out like that.”

Megan rolls her eyes. “You’d better have a good reason for some sort of bullshit move like that. I may be sick, but I’m not stupid. You’re hiding something from me.” She leans in, trying to look intimidating despite the crutches holding her up, “is that juice thing actually, like, some new kind of drug? Because if you’re using this dorm to deal liquid Molly or something, I won’t hesitate to report you.” It’s hard to be mad at Happy when she’s sitting there looking small and worried, like an adorable puppy who chewed your favorite flip flops. It’s annoying – it’s not fair that Megan gets that little thrill in her chest, that little moment where she’s hoping Happy will smile at her or say something sweet, when she’s mad at her.

“I swear, it’s nothing illegal,” Happy insists, holding her hands up. “I think.”

“You think?” Megan asks.

“It’s – personal.”

“Personal?!” Megan exclaims. “I needed my medication, and you practically pushed me out of the dorm. That’s not personal. That’s getting in the way of me being able to function.”

Happy goes quiet. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly.

“For what?” Megan asks. Her legs are getting a little fatigued, so she falls onto the bed, pretending she’s not as exhausted as she feels. “Spell it out, Quinn.”

And, oh god, the way Happy smiles at that makes Megan’s heart beat at the speed of light.

“I don’t know how you’re going to take this,” she begins, and Megan realizes this might be about her, about how she’s been with Happy.

Happy knows. Happy knows Megan likes her and isn’t okay with it.

“Look, okay, I’ve got to tell you something,” Happy says, kicking at the blue hanging tapestry at her wall.

This is it, Megan thinks. Happy’s going to tell Megan that she’s straight and so not into Megan, that she’s uncomfortable with the attention.

Frankly Megan should expect bad news all the time at this point. And she’s been freaking out about juice.

“I’m a vampire,” Happy says.

Megan stares at Happy. “Something just misfired in my head,” Megan says. She shakes her head violently, trying to clear her vision and really hear what Happy’s saying. “Come again?”

“I,” says Happy slowly as she sits up, “am a vampire.”

That’s what Megan heard the first time. She still kind of doesn’t believe it. “You’re a what?”

“Vampire,” she says, and it’s so casual they could be talking about where she went to high school. “Drink blood, live forever, all that stuff.” She gestures to her outfit. “I’m always cold, too. Like always. You never questioned the layers in the summer?”

“I did,” Megan says, still trying to wrap her mind around it. “Just didn’t mention it. But you’re actually – you have to be kidding me.”

“I’m not,” Happy assures her. “I kicked you out because – well, I was in the sun too long. I couldn’t wait to drink blood until I hid in the shed behind the building.” She shrugs. “So I – drank it in the dorm.”

Megan stares at her. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Happy sighs and folds her arms across her chest. “You want proof?”

“I’m not so sure I do,” Megan says. She’s panicking a little bit. It’s not every day that your roommate reveals herself to be not only hot but a creature of the night – or, more plausibly, somebody with delusions of vampirism.

Happy runs her tongue along her bottom teeth, and Megan shrieks as little fangs present themselves.

“What the hell?” Megan asks, horrified. “The hell are those?!”

“My vampire fangs,” Happy says, and Megan notes somewhere in the back of her fear drowned mind that Happy has an adorable little lisp on the ‘s’ when the teeth pop out. “But don’t worry. I don’t bite.” She grins. “Unless you’re into that.”

Megan feels herself blush pink. “I don’t – how. How?!” Megan asks. “How the hell is this even possible? Vampires are fairy tales.”

“Do I look like Cinderella to you?” Happy asks. She throws herself back on her bed. “Ever notice how I don’t really sleep during the night? How I’m always inside, don’t go to anything that starts before five unless I have to? Only eat a little bit?” She sighs. “I thought you creative types were supposed to be perceptive.”

“Well you don’t expect to perceive your roommate to be a vampire,” Megan replies flatly. “Does anybody else know?”

Happy thinks for a minute. “Sly does,” she says, “but that’s because he’s a werewolf.”

“He’s a what?!” Megan asks.

Happy bursts into laughter. “Sorry,” she says. “I just had to see your reaction. That was great.”

“That was mean,” Megan corrects, sitting in her desk chair. “You just told me vampires are real. Am I supposed to assume they’re the only ones?”

Happy shrugs. “I’m no expert on supernatural creatures just like you’re no expert on humans. There could be werewolves. Just never met one.”

Megan drops her head into her hands. “This is the weirdest day of my life and I grew up with Walter,” she grumbles.

“You’ll get used to it,” Happy offers. “Everybody does, eventually.”

“So Sylvester’s the only one who knows?” Megan asks. “Does anyone else in your classes know?”

Happy stares. “Sylvester has no idea,” Happy corrects. “Werewolf thing was a joke, I swear. There’s uh,” she trials off, her eyes looking at their bedroom door. “There’s nobody who knows. Nobody but you.”

Megan settles on her bed. “Nobody?” she clarifies.

She smiles. “In the past I’ve told people casually. That almost got me burned at the stake. So, uh,” she shrugs. “I’ve decided against it.”

Megan feels a little confused. “And why – why did you tell me?”

Happy turns to her, her gaze almost stifling in the intensity of the moment. “Because you’re the first person I’ve felt safe with in about fifty years,” Happy says.

Megan opens her mouth, unable to keep herself from feeling something she’s tried to keep down for ages. “Happy,” she says. But when she turns toward Megan there are no words left to explain what she wants to say. So Megan stands and walks to Happy’s bed, dropping her crutches on the floor as she sits next to Happy.

“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” Megan says. “But I’m so glad I got to be your roommate.”

“Just my roommate?” Happy asks, her lips turning up at the sides.

Megan’s eyes widen as she realize that maybe, just maybe, Happy’s feeling the same she is.

Without another word, she leans down and kisses Happy. She’s expecting a challenge against her lips from Happy, but instead she kisses so gently that Megan’s the one who brings it into a stronger kiss. She parts her lips and Happy follows suit.

When they break apart, Happy’s expression is so open and so young that Megan is struck by it.

“I guess I was right to trust you,” Happy says softly.

Megan shrugs. “Yeah, well,” she says. “I try. Even when my roommate who I’ve got a crush on tells me she’s a vampire.”

“Big day for you, huh?” Happy laughs.

Megan nods. “Big day.”

~

Megan’s starting to feel the exhaustion. The campus is bigger than Walter really led on, and even with the buses each day feels like she’s run a marathon when she gets home.

Happy’s got her legs kicked up on her wall, black Harley Davidsons making dark black smudges on the wall, by the time Megan gets home.

“Hey, you,” Megan says, trying to pretend that everything is alright. “How’s it going?”

Happy looks at her from upside down. “Something’s wrong,” Happy says. Faster than Megan’s ever seen anybody move, Happy’s off the bed and looking at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I – I’m fine,” Megan lies. She inhales and her breathing is shaky.

Happy’s eyes scan her. She studies her face for a few moments. “You’re having trouble breathing,” she says definitively, her expression almost clinical. “Sit down. Do you have an inhaler?”

“It’s there,” Megan says, pointing to her desk. The cold air is starting to get to her. Below forty temperatures seep into her skin and her lungs and suffocate her, and it’s exhausting to even breathe.

Happy has the inhaler in her hand before Megan’s sure she’s finished her sentence, and she takes it. Happy’s hand is resting softly on Megan’s back, steadying her.

“Thank you,” Megan manages, smiling at Happy.

“Don’t thank me,” Happy says. “It’s just what I do.”

Megan rolls her eyes. “You’re allowed to be nice to me, you know. We kissed yesterday – it’s okay to, you know. Touch me, or something.”

Happy nods. “Right,” she agrees. “But you – that’s what you wanted?”

Megan stares at her. “Are you high?” she asks. “Did you miss the part where I totally kissed you first?”

Happy looks at Megan. “You wanted to kiss me,” Happy clarifies me.

“Not to be an ass,” Megan says, “but duh.”

“Could I kiss you again?” Happy asks. It’s the second time Megan has ever seen her look hesitant, nervous, young. Like she looked the day before.

Megan nods. “Of course.”

Happy leans in and kisses Megan slowly. She leans into it, unsure of where to rest her hands – Happy’s hips, her face, her shoulders?

Happy takes Megan’s hands and rests them on her hips, and Megan feels a little better now that she can steady her hands. Her fingertips are shaking, only the tiniest bit, but enough that she wants to be able to steady them on something physical.

Happy breaks away. “Your breathing is still unsteady,” she says, looking concerned. “Did your inhaler not work or something?”

Megan laughs. “Uh, it’s not from an asthma attack,” she replies, smiling at Happy.

It takes a second for it to click with Happy. Then she blushes so sweetly that Megan half falls in love with her. “You’re going to be the death of me, Megan O’Brien,” she says.

“Well then,” Megan says, grinning, “it’s a damn good thing you’re immortal.”

~

Megan comes back from her three o’clock class sleepy but pleased, the English discussion being filled with comparisons of various hero’s journeys and the meaning of a hero. She loves it, loves having people her age who can connect like this.

Happy’s sitting at her desk, legs kicked up on it, with her laptop settled on her thighs. She’s frowning at the laptop.

“What’s got your goat?” Megan asks, dropping her bag next to the bed. She kicks off her sneakers and snuggles into bed, pulling the blanket over her head so she can just see Happy.

She’s smiling. “You say the weirdest things sometimes.”

Megan shrugs. “It’s part of my charm. You didn’t answer my question. What’s wrong?”

Happy swings her legs off the desk. “It’s this paper. I’ve been doing this college thing for years now and, for some reason, I can’t figure this thing out.”

“Let me help,” Megan says, “like you said, my creative type is good at essays.”

Happy pulls the computer away from her. “No, wait, Megan.”

“Let me help!” Megan insists, laughing. “Come on, I can do it.”

Happy looks down at it. “You promise you’re not going to laugh?”

“At a college paper?” Megan asks. “I mean, college papers can be bad, but there’s no way it’s that bad.”

“It’s – it’s not exactly a paper,” Happy mumbles.

Megan watches her as she sets the computer in Megan’s hands. And she reads all about Happy’s childhood. The header states that it’s for her creative writing class. She had no idea Happy had been in a creative writing class, let alone a non-fiction writing class.

“You were given up when you were two?” Megan asks quietly.

Happy nods, eyes down. “I still remember my father’s face, after all these years.”

“And when did – when did that happen?”

“1892,” Happy replies.

Megan tries not to be surprised. “You – you were born in 1890?”

Happy nods. “I’m ridiculously old, right?”

“So old,” Megan says with a smile. “You’re – you’re 126 years old?”

Happy giggles, a sound Megan’s never heard before and would do anything to hear every day of her life. “127 in May.”

“And you got turned when you were…?”

Happy bites her lip. “Twenty.”

“Oh, my god,” Megan laughs. “Wow, you’re old and not able to drink at the same time.”

“Stop it!” Happy laughs. “You’re old! You’re a 21 year old freshman.”

“That just means I can drink and have fun,” Megan replies.

“You can’t drink because of your medication, so let’s nip that in the bud,” Happy says, pulling the laptop back.

Megan leans in and kisses her. “Jerk.”

The night dissolves into laughter and kisses, gentle touches and gasps in the night, and Megan begins to think she could do this forever. Megan’s realizes that, whenever she does certain things, Happy’s fangs pop out just enough to poke at Megan’s lips. She’s taking that as a good thing, and does those certain things as much as she can.

Later that night, they’re sleepy and Megan is reveling in the fact that, for the first time ever, somebody treated her like a person, like somebody who isn’t going to shatter, even though Happy was quiet and soft and gentle.

It’s all happening so quickly and with such strength that it’s almost too much, but Megan’s wondering if Happy was put into her life with such acceleration because there’s not much of her life left.

“Hey, Happy?” she mumbles, half asleep in Happy’s arms.

“Yeah?”

“I’m really glad I’m here with you.”

Happy strokes Megan’s hair, and Megan tries to memorize the touch.

~

Megan’s got a paper in front of her to write, except the page is blank. Her mind’s been fuzzy lately, with the frozen temperatures slithering into the dorms and classrooms.

Wordlessly, Happy settles a blanket over Megan’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple. It warms Megan down to the bones.

“Thanks,” she says, smiling up at Happy.

“Always.” And the way Happy says it, it’s almost a promise. A sad promise, though. Like she’s said it before, like she’s been hurt.

“You okay?” Megan asks quietly. She’s trying to hide her shivers, the warmth lasting nowhere near as long as she’d hoped.

Happy nods. “Yeah, yeah. It’s fine.” She sighs. “Just – a little stuck in the past.”

Megan wants to ask about that, but she’s not sure how to do it.

“I’m going to go take a bath,” Megan says. “See if I can warm up. How is it so cold in the beginning of October?”

Happy shrugs. “It happens. You should have been there for the winter of 1936. Ohio froze over two and a half times. Three of my students got their tongues stuck on metal poles.”

“Students?” Megan asks, incredulous.

Happy shrugs. “Not many jobs for single women in the 30’s during the Great Depression. I quit and became an engineer during the war.”

Megan smiles at her. “Am I going to get some more of those stories?”

“Someday.”

Megan goes to the bathroom and turns on the shower, but it’s colder than she wanted it to be. Despite the suite setup where she gets a bathroom for herself and Happy, it’s still not as comfortable as she’d hope for. It’s not the specially made bath she has at her parents house, and the porcelain is harsh against her bones. Soon, the shivering becomes uncontrollable. Her teeth chatter, her shoulders shake, and she doesn’t know if she’d be more comfortable sitting here and warming up the water, or leaving and wrapping herself in a robe.

The decision is harder than it should be, and Megan sits up and wraps her arms around herself, overwhelmed with just how fragile she’s become.

“Hey, Megan, can I grab a – are you okay?!” Happy dashes into the bathroom. “Megan, your lips are blue.

“I’m f-fine,” Megan tries to say, but the cold takes over.

Without a thought, Happy pulls off her clothes and sits in the bathtub behind Megan, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her against her flesh. Instantly, Megan grows warmer. She relaxes back against Happy’s chest, trying to let the warmth consume her.

“I thought vampires were supposed to be cold,” Megan mutters, finally comfortable.

Happy’s laugh is quiet and songlike in Megan’s ear. “Urban legend,” she replies. “Same with the turning into bats thing.”

“What about a cat?” Megan continues. “Can you turn into a cat?”

“No,” Happy says. “But cats love me. Had one before I started going to college here. And I go as a cat for Halloween each year, because I think it’s funny.”

Megan snuggles against her. “Tell me some other things about you.”

Happy’s quiet for a moment. “You sure you want to know?”

“Yes,” Megan replies. “Always.”

“Okay,” Happy says. But she doesn’t speak.

There’s time that passes, time that’s quiet when the water grows colder and they get out and wrap themselves in robes and snuggle up in Megan’s bed.

“Tell me about who you used to be close to,” Megan says. “I want to know all the people who made you into the person you are now.”

“There was one boy,” Happy says finally, looking distant and sentimental, “Tobias. Toby. He was smart and sweet. A little bone headed at times, but there’s no one I could have wanted more.” She smiles and holds Megan close. “He knew what I was, why I could do so much more than the average person in 1930. He could read me in minutes.” Happy looks a little broken. “He was my world.”

Megan doesn’t want to ask. She doesn’t want to know how Happy lost him, where he went. Why he’s gone.

“Don’t look so sad,” Happy says. “We lived happily for years and years.” She smiles. “He used to bring me flowers when I was teaching, laughed at my stories about how miserable it was to teach when kids are your worst skill.” She exhales. “He supported me always – even got me my military job helping to engineer airplanes. I got to do so, so much because of him. I got –” she skips over her words, “I got to be so much because of him. But when you reach the point where people who look your age wear poodle skirts and the man you love could be the age of your grandfather,” Happy shrugs, “it becomes difficult.”

Megan is unsure of what to say, because what is screaming in her head is the fact that she will be gone so much sooner than when she could look like Happy’s grandmother.

“And you didn’t…” Megan trails off, unsure of the etiquette behind turning someone into a vampire.

Happy shakes her head. “He was a doctor. Medicine and science and biology. The brain. That’s where he lived. The idea of living forever, of permanent and unrelenting existence,” she exhales, looking sad, “it terrified him. I wanted him forever, but he said I’d have him for all of his life. And that, it seemed, was the greatest gift I could be given.” She sighs.

Megan’s heart breaks for Happy. She’s spent so much time carefully crafting her words, throwing out snark and sass like darts, that hearing her speak this way makes Megan realize just how old Happy is, that she truly is from a different time.

“Hey, don’t give me that pout,” Happy says, the voice Megan is familiar with returning. “It’s a new kind of happy, but I’ve got you.” She leans in and kisses Megan softly, sweetly.

“Not for long,” Megan says, the fear welling in her heart. “Happy, I’m – I have a few years, maybe only months left. I’m going to leave you and I don’t want to.”

Happy smiles at her sadly. “And that’s the hard part of living forever.”

Megan considers the situation. She will deteriorate within weeks, if the doctors are correct. Her quality of life will plummet and she will be bedridden except for physical therapy.

But there is a way.

“There’s another option,” Megan says.

“Oh yeah?” Happy asks. “Shoot.”

“You could turn me.”

Megan knows it was the wrong thing to say by the way Happy’s face melts into sheer horror.

“I can’t do that to you,” Happy says, shaking her head. “There’s too much risk involved. You have to nearly die. And you – you’ve only known me for a month and a half!”

“I’m going to actually full on die in under a year anyway,” Megan says. “If it doesn’t work we just – speed it up a little.” She adds a smile, because the conversation is kind of disturbingly morbid. “Plus, I want to know you for the rest of my life, whatever that means.”

Happy looks at Megan for a moment. Just looks at her. “You’re serious, aren’t you,” Happy says.

Megan nods. “I’m out of conventional possibilities,” Megan says honestly. “Walter’s trying everything he can, but we’re out of options.” She leans in. “And between you and me? I think I’d like to be with you for a lot longer than a couple of months.”

Happy’s eyes search Megan’s face, and Megan waits patiently for it to sink in. For how experienced and brilliant Happy is, sometimes it takes a while for things that are very clear to Megan to get into Happy’s brain.

“I can’t promise anything,” Happy says, her voice achingly worried. “I could hurt you.”

Megan smiles at Happy and kisses her forehead. “I trust you.”

Happy tilts her head up and kisses Megan, drawing her into her lap. The two of them collapse against the comforter, kissing messily, lips parting with laughter.

“This means you might be stuck with me,” Happy says, brushing Megan’s hair from her face, “for a long time.”

“I think I’d like that,” Megan considers. “And I might be a little more fun once I get all vampire-y.” She pauses. “Oh, god, what the hell am I going to tell Walter?”

Happy frowns. “Now that’s a question for you. Is he the kind of brother who would kick my ass for, I don’t know, insulting your honor? Something like that?”

“Yes,” says Megan, “but I’m the kind of sister who would punch him for doing it. So really it’s all even.”

Happy smiles. “I really don’t know the logistics of it,” she says slowly, “but I’m willing to find out.”

They plan for ages. Happy downright refuses to do it before midterms, which is just annoying, in Megan’s opinion.

“But then I have to do my mid-terms even if I die!” Megan says, laughing. “And that just doesn’t seem fair to anybody involved.”

Happy becomes very serious. “I know you’re joking,” she says, “but stop it. If you die, if I,” she pauses, looking horrified, “if I kill you, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Megan rolls her eyes. “Like I said, I’m going to die anyway. Probably sooner than either one of us want to think about. I really don’t think this risk is too bad.”

“Your brother will kill me if I kill you though,” Happy says.

Megan laughs. “More like he’ll just throw a big ass temper tantrum and pout until somebody cute kisses him.”

The door flings open. “Somebody cute is kissing who?”

Megan groans. “God we need to be better at locking at door.”

“Hi,” Walter says, looking distracted. “How’s it going here?”

“Good,” Happy says. “What’s with you and pleasantries? That’s the least Walter thing I’ve ever seen you do.”

Walter sits on Megan’s desk chair. “Can I ask you guys something?”

Megan nods and gingerly sets herself on her bed. “Shoot, little bro.”

Walter exhales slowly, looking like he is slowly choosing his words. “What does it feel like to be in love?”

Megan feels her face color, because she hasn’t told Happy that, not in words, at least, and now Walter’s told Happy that Megan feels that way, and Megan is simply going to have to kill Walter herself. It’s the only option.

Happy looks up to Megan, then to Walter. “I’m going to plead the fifth on that one,” Happy says. She’s avoiding the question so desperately that Megan’s pretty sure she might as well die. That’s why she’s so reluctant to turn Megan despite the high possibility that Megan’s going to die soon.

Maybe she’s just waiting for Megan to go on her own.

“I don’t know,” says Megan, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. “I’ve got mid terms to study for,” Megan mutters. “I, uh. I need you to leave, kay?”

Walter looks confused. “But I – I’m just very confused about how to quantify –”

“Well you’re the genius, you figure it out,” Megan says. She points toward the door with her crutches. “Go. Create some sort of algorithm for it so us lowly mortals can apply it to our lives.”

Walter looks a little bit like a kicked puppy as he makes his way out of the dorm room. When the door closes, Happy looks a little confused.

“What was that?” she asks.

Megan shrugs, unsure of how to reply. She sits on the bed, ignoring the flare of pain it sends through her nerves.

“Do you think I don’t love you?”

Megan looks up at the words, floored. “What?”

Happy walks over and sits next to Megan on the bed. “Because I do,” Happy says quickly. “I’m terrible with words and it’s been years since I’ve felt this way, but I do.” She drops her head down. I’m just really no good at saying it.”

Megan turns to her. “You love me?” she asks.

Happy looks at her, a grin on her lips. “Of course I do, you dumbass. Why else would I be willing to turn you? I’d be stuck with you forever if I did that. And I’m pretty good with that, to be honest.”

Megan grins. “Me too.”

~

The semester grows on and the exhaustion grows with it. Megan knows she’s deteriorating, despite what Walter has said about all the great progress they’ve made in MS research. She’s not going to make it much longer, and she needs to ask this question now. But it’s incredibly difficult to ask, even with all the time she and Happy spend together.

Finally, when they’re both in the room, when it’s quiet and sleepy, she can’t keep it in any more.

“I want you to do it,” Megan blurts out one evening, when the late November chill is only forced away by Happy’s arms and when everything begins to ache just minutes after her medication is taken. It’s becoming harder and harder to pretend she’s okay, hard and hard to pretend she’s not in pain all the time. It’s only when she’s with Happy that she feels comforted.

Happy turns to her. “What now?”

“I want you to – to turn me into a vampire.” The words should feel strange, should taste like copper in her mouth, but they sit comfortably on her tongue. “Now. Before I get any worse and I – and I might not survive the change.”

Happy leans down, looking incredibly apprehensive. “Are you sure?” she asks, looking nervous. “I know we’ve talked about it, but.” She pauses. “Megan, that was more theoretical. I don’t want to – I don’t want to hurt you.”

Megan smiles, reaching a hand up to cup Happy’s cheek. “You could never hurt me, Happy,” Megan says quietly.

Happy kisses her gently, but even so Megan feels her fangs against her lip. It curls in Megan’s stomach for a moment, that maybe soon the two of them can be like normal people, without Megan’s illness hanging over them. Well, as normal as you can be as vampires.

“Come on,” Megan says, laying back on the floor where they’ve spread all the plastic. “Bite me.”

“Okay, when you say it like that, you sound like Bella,” Happy wrinkles her nose. “There was nothing worse for vampires than that stupid-ass book.”

Megan drops her head back and laughs. “If I say I’m sorry will you bite me?”

Happy laughs and kisses Megan again. “I guess.”

Megan says “Sorry,” with a silly voice and Happy shuts her up with a firm kiss.

“If I do this wrong,” Happy says, “if I hurt you –”

“Okay, stop it,” Megan says. “Bite my stupid neck and turn me into a stupid vampire before I kick your ass. We might as well do this before finals, right?”

“What about your parents?” Happy asks. “I mean, they just saw you like this last week for Thanksgiving break. What are they going to say when you come back, less than two weeks later, looking completely different?”

Megan shrugs. “Miracle treatment?”

“Well,” Happy sighs, “you wouldn’t be wrong.”

Happy nods, smiling a little bit. She runs her tongue along her teeth and the fangs pop up again.

“And you’re sure about this?” she asks for the millionth time.

“Happy,” Megan says, putting her hands on her shoulders, “if you don’t do this, I’m dead in a year, maybe less. If you do this, I either live forever, live with you, or I’m dead now. No matter what, this is my only chance.”

Happy leans in and kisses Megan’s forehead. When she pulls away, there are tears. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she says quietly. “I don’t want to – if this goes wrong –”

“If it goes wrong, then you tell everyone it was the MS,” Megan says firmly. “Look, I don’t want to die. But if I have to, I’d rather die in your arms, like this, because I was doing something I wanted to do, than die in a bed from that disease.” She presses her forehead to Happy’s. “Please,” she says quietly, “let this be my choice.”

Happy kisses her softly, an ache and a hope behind it, and pulls away. “Okay.”

Megan smiles. “Thank you.”

They set up Megan’s bed comfortably, because neither of them know what to expect, and Happy brushes the hair off of Megan’s neck. It’s Megan’s imagination, but she thinks Happy’s dark brown eyes glow a little red as she looks at Megan.

“You ready?” Happy says. Megan nods, the anticipation killing her.

“Please,” Megan whispers.

Happy presses a kiss to Megan’s neck before she bites down. Megan expected pain, but instead she feels a strange numbness lead from her neck down her body, crawling into her fingertips and toes like they’ve fallen asleep. She doesn’t think she could move if she wanted to – paralysis is the only way to describe it.

And then the world begins to grow black.

The last thing Megan remembers is Happy muttering, “Be okay, Megan. Oh, god, I love you. Please be okay.”


	2. Raise You Like a Phoenix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past can rise to the present, though, with the right people behind you, it doesn't hurt.

Megan wakes up into a brand new, brighter world. There’s a metallic taste in her mouth, like pennies, almost, but this time the taste is heavenly, like a drink of water after weeks in the sun. For the first time since her teen years, Megan doesn’t feel any aches in her joints or strain in her lungs. It’s overwhelming. She can breathe and move. She feels alive for the first time in ages.

“Megan,” says Happy, looking at her like she’s seen the sun for the first time. “Oh, thank god, I was so scared.” She searches Megan’s face, like she’s trying to find a trace of regret or pain. “You’re back.”

Megan stretches her arms, taking in how every movement feels in her body. “How do I look?”

Happy’s eyes scan Megan, looking her up and down. “Amazing,” Happy replies, “as usual.”

Careful not to jolt, Megan sits up slowly, taking in everything around her. When she looks out the window she can see every detail of the leaves on the trees, can take in cracks and potholes in the street across the quad. She can see the title of the book one brave soul is reading out in the half-frozen November day, and can smell the smoke curling from the cigarette the girl is holding in her hand.

“Is this how you feel every day?” Megan asks, in awe.

Happy nods. “I’m not going to say that you get used to it,” she begins, “because you don’t, but I forget how much I couldn’t see in the past. You know, when I was human.”

Megan smiles softly, and even doing that feels different, like her tongue can taste the chill on the air. “Is it weird that I want to try standing? I want to see – I want to feel what it’s like to walk without braces. For the first time since I was in middle school.”

“It’s not weird,” says Happy, stepping away from her. “Go ahead.”

Megan swings her legs over the side of the bed and stands on her own for the first time in ages. It’s slow, and she’s prepared to be unsteady. But she isn’t. The feeling of standing is something she isn’t quite sure how to express. Instead, she just looks over at Happy in disbelief.

“You’re taller than I remembered,” Happy says, looking up at Megan. Looking up. With the crutches it was like she was  shorter than Happy. Their eye line was similar. But now it’s clear that Megan is far taller than Happy.

Megan grins at her. “I am so much taller than you are.” She reaches out for Happy and, without realizing it, pulls her full against her.

“Oops,” Megan says, nervously giggling. “Stronger than I realized.”

“I’ll say,” says Happy. She can’t keep her hands off of Megan, running her fingertips along Megan’s arms.

“I’m getting a naked vibe,” Megan says. “So that’s what I’m going to get. Do. I’m going to get naked.”

Happy grins. “This,” she says, pressing her palm to Megan’s chest and pushing her onto the bed, “is going to be good.”

Megan reaches to loops her arms around Happy’s neck, and it’s weird to be kissing her without running out of breath in the first couple of seconds. It’s even stranger when she realizes she doesn’t have to breathe. This lets the kisses grow deeper, stronger, and Megan accidentally digs her fingernails into the skin at Happy’s waist, clutching her like a lifeline.

Happy jumps.

“Sorry!” Megan says. “Sorry – I’ve never been able to do that before! I didn’t mean to do that!”

Happy laughs, dropping her head down to kiss Megan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” Happy murmurs against Megan’s skin, “it’s kind of nice to be the breakable one for once.”

Megan tries to gently hit Happy’s shoulder, but Happy shifts slightly. “Nope,” Megan says. “Not allowed to do the physical thing right now. Got it. I could kill you.”

Happy raises an eyebrow. “Babe,” she says, “you realize we’re vampires, right?’

Megan nods. “Okay, yeah, but if vampires can’t kill vampires, who can?”

Happy visibly considers it for a minute. “That’s a good point. But I don’t actually know the answer, so let’s get back to kissing me,” she tucks Megan’s hair behind her ear, “okay?”

Happy drops her body against Megan’s in a way that she’s never done before. Megan didn’t realize just how gentle Happy was being with her, before, until this moment. Happy’s lips are at her neck, sucking a love bite into the skin and making Megan writhe against the sheets. It’s new and exciting, and Megan hadn’t realize this – they – could get even better.

“If I get this for eternity,” Megan gasps, “I think I’m good. There’s nothing else. This is totally good.”

Happy laughs, the sound vibrating into Megan’s heart, and kisses along Megan’s shoulder.

Then someone knocks aggressively. “Megan!” Walter shouts. “Megan, I have a problem!”

Happy leaps off of Megan and stares at her. “What the hell are we going to tell him?!” She looks at Megan’s neck. “Oh dear god, your bite still hasn’t healed all the way.”

“My brother is going to kill both of us,” Megan says, a little dumbfounded. “Dead. Kill us dead.” She winces. “Except he can’t because we’re freaking vampires!” She stares at Happy. “When did I become a CW character?!”

“Megan!” Walter shouts again, knocking hard. “Come on, it’s a relationship thing!”

Happy sighs. “He’s not leaving, is he.”

“You get the door,” Megan decides, sliding under her covers. “We’ll, uh. We’ll make something up.”

Happy pulls open the door. “Hey, Walt,” she says, doing a terrible job of looking calm and collected. “What’s wrong?”

Walter brings a storm of stress into the room, which is honestly just upping Megan’s nerves. “This – this new guy and I got into a fight,” he says, pacing across the room. “All because I said that thing about psychology being a soft science.”

“Which is clearly a jackass comment,” Megan interrupts.

“And then he got all angry at me and told me I was an asshole.” Walter sits down in Megan’s desk chair and pouts – legitimately pouts.

“There’s a reason for that,” Happy says, doing that thing where she raises her eyebrows and smiles sardonically, and Megan can’t help but laugh.

“Don’t laugh at me!” Walter says, sounding horribly pathetic. “I’m miserable and you’re just making me feel worse.”

“Well, who is this guy?” Happy asks. “You’re not one to befriend a guy who isn’t, well,” she shrugs, “one of us.”

“He is, though!” Walter says, and Megan doesn’t miss the way Walter’s eyes light it. She’s waited a long damn time for Walter to open up to someone, to move on from his relationship with Mark in high school. And now she’s seeing something similar, shaded in the knowledge that he definitely messed up. “He’s smart and – he kind of can read me like a book.”

Happy raises an eyebrow. “Sounds like a guy I once knew. What’s his major?”

“Neuroscience and psychology,” Walter replies. “I asked him why he wouldn’t just go into the science part and get rid of the nonsense science that is psychology.”

“Oh. I see,” Megan sighs.

Walter frowns. “See what?”

“You made fun of his life’s dream,” Megan deadpans. “I’d be pissed at you too.” Megan sits up, then stares at Walter. “Oh wait, you did, and I was.”

“Creative writing is something you could do without being a hundred thousand dollars in debt,” Walter says. Then his eyes bug out so hugely Megan would laugh if she didn’t realize the blankets fell off her legs.

“What’s his name?” Megan asks, trying to diffuse the situation, but Walter’s not having any of it.

“Where are your braces?” Walter asks, looking around. Happy’s not fast enough to hide them from Walter, though, and he sees them in the corner. “Why aren’t they on?”

Happy and Megan exchange a quick look, and apparently Happy does not know how to read minds because she says, “We were having sex and it’s easier without plastic digging into my back.”

Megan watches the color drain from Walter’s face as he slowly stands up. His expression can only be described as constipation mixed with absolute horror. “I did not need to know that,” he says, wincing. “I – I will be going now. Good bye.”

He darts out of the room and kicks the door closed behind him, and Megan whips a pillow at Happy’s head. It catches her off guard and Happy falls over onto her bed.

“Okay, ow,” Happy says, rubbing her cheek. “But nice arm.”

“Nice arm?!” Megan shrieks. “You just told my brother weirdly specific details about our sex life and that’s all you can say?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Happy says, half grinning, “would you have rather I told him that I bit your neck, you drank my blood, and now you’re a vampire?”

Megan shrugs. “I honestly don’t know what would have gone worse.”

“I do,” Happy says, stepping closer to Megan. “The vampire thing would freak him out. A lot more.”

Megan tilts her head to the side. “Wait a second. That’s why…” She trails off. “Oh.”

“What, oh?” Happy asks. “Are you – are you okay?” She can’t mask the concern in her eyes.

“Oh, no, I’m fine!” Megan assures her. “I just – I hadn’t realized. I drank your blood. I didn’t remember that I’d done that.”

Happy shrugs. “You were out cold when I was doing that part. That’s why I was so worried you wouldn’t come back.” She wrinkles her nose. “Oh, it’s a good thing Walter didn’t walk in on that.”

“Is he really going to freak out?” Megan asks. “I mean, we’re going to have to tell him.”

“Not quite yet,” Happy says slowly.

Megan sighs. “And why not? The cogs are going to start turning when he realizes I’m not half dead anymore.”

“Not a funny joke, and we’re going to skip past that.” Happy pats Megan on the head. “Because you’re his big sister who he sees as an innocent, fragile little flower. He would die if he found you were a creature of the night.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m still going to be an early bird,” Megan says, shrugging. “I don’t care, I’ll always wear long sleeves and one of those big, floppy hats. I look good in hats.”

Happy laughs, and for the first time Megan notices how gorgeous her neck is, long with soft skin. She licks her lips without realizing it, unable to take her eyes away.

“Come here,” she says, her voice almost a growl. With strength she didn’t know she had she pulls Happy onto her lap. Happy straddles her hips and Megan shifts back on the bed so her back is against the wall, her hands drawing mindless patterns across Happy’s skin.

“You know,” Megan says, looking up at Happy. “We can do a lot more now,” she risks a grin up at Happy. “You know, since I’m not sick anymore. I get do this,” she leans forward and pulls Happy’s shirt up, “and I won’t even get exhausted five minutes in.”

Happy’s breath hitches. “That sounds good to me,” she says. She sighs as Megan unbuttons her shirt, kissing at her stomach as she pushes the fabric off her shoulders. Happy sighs again, looking a little lost as Megan moves her hands to her stomach.

“I could do this all day now,” Megan realizes. She pauses. “It’s a weekend. Finals are a couple weeks away.” She grins up at Happy. “You know what? I think I will do this all day.”

Megan twists them, turning them over so she’s on top of Happy. She’s never been able to do this before – she has strength and abilities she’s never even thought, and Happy just goes with any of Megan’s ideas.

Megan leans down, her lips against the skin of Happy’s stomach. She likes the way Happy writhes beneath her. Happy grabs at Megan’s shoulders and pulls her up, kissing her with a fervor Megan’s never seen before.

“Have you been going easy on me?” Megan says with a laugh. Happy nods, leaning up to kiss her again, pulling Megan to her. Megan drops on top of Happy, and Happy moans at the weight.

Her legs wrap around Megan’s hips, and Megan laughs against Happy’s lips.

“You’re all desperate,” Megan says. “I like it.”

“Shut up and kiss me,” Happy demands. Megan decides to do as Happy says and leans in, kissing Happy deeply. Megan can tell Happy’s letting loose – for months now Happy’s been so easy on her, so gently, so sweet, that now she thinks Happy’s taking the time to just let go of any inhibition. Her hands run up Megan’s back, nails scratching gently and sending delicious sparks down Megan’s spine.

Megan moves her lips to press open mouthed kisses to Happy’s throat. Happy whines and presses up against Happy, muttering, “Please.”

Megan gives a gentle bite a try, and the moan it elicits from Happy makes Megan want to do it for the rest of her life.

They draw it out this time, not because Happy worries that she might hurt Megan, but because they’ve got all the time in the world.

~

The next morning, Megan gets out of the shower to see a text from Walter waiting for her.

_Be there in twenty – more boy problems. Help._

It’s dated twenty minutes before.

“Oh, crap,” Megan squeaks. She pulls on clothing, though it’s barely needed now that she doesn’t register temperature, and pushes Happy until she wakes up.

“Up!” she says. “Wake up! Walter’s coming over!”

“You’re not wearing pants, but you’re talking about Walter,” Happy mumbles, one eye open, “so clearly I’m not dreaming.”

“Get up!” Megan says, yanking on a pair of leggings, and she’s pretty sure they’re backwards. And Happy’s. “I don’t know how to handle him.”

“Who?”

“Walter!”

“What about me?” comes Walter’s voice from outside the door. Time seems to slow as he pushes the door open and Megan turns to look at him.

Walter stares. “What – how are you…?” He sits on the bed. “You’re walking. How are you walking like that?”

Happy and Megan look at each other. “Um,” Happy says. It’s the first time Megan’s ever heard her say something that wasn’t intelligent.

And this is when Megan realizes it’s now or never. “So, Walter,” she says slowly. “We have something to tell you.”

“What?” he asks. “You – you put yourself in some sort of trial program without telling me? What?”

Happy looks up at Megan from where they’re sitting. “You want to say it or should I say it.”

“I mean, I don’t want to,” Megan begins, “but I kind of think I have to.”

“I don’t care who says it!” Walter interjects. “Just say it.”

Megan, in a moment of impulsivity that her elementary school teachers would have called a Megan Moment, goes, “So, we’re vampires.”

Walter just blinks at her. “Excuse me?”

“Vampires,” Megan repeats. “Vam. Pires. Blood drinkers. Creatures of the night. Sort of – I still wake up early, but that could change. And I can’t turn into a bat. Or grow my hair any longer, which is really disappointing.”

Walter’s staring blankly. “Excuse me?”

Happy rolls her eyes. “God, you O’Briens are the same.” Megan watches as Happy pops out her fangs, and in the half second after Walter shrieks and falls backward off of his chair.

“Fangs!” he squeaks. “You – you have fangs!”

Happy nods. “Yeah. So does Megan.” She nods toward her. “Show him.”

“I can’t do it like you can yet!” Megan whines. Hold on. She massages her gums with her tongue, like Happy explained, and it takes a moment, but then – “Yes! Ow.” She touches her lip to find two tiny pinpoints of blood. “I keep biting my lip.”

“You – you too?” Walter asks. His voice is reaching a frequency generally only accessible to dogs, but Megan just thinks her vampire hearing has reached new, impressive heights.

Megan nods. “Walter, it was the only way. Happy had to turn me so I could survive.”

And then Walter’s expression turns halfway to murder. He stands up, his eyes locked on Happy with a death glare. “You did this to her?!”

“No, I told her to,” Megan says, stepping in front of Happy. But Walter strides toward Happy with a misguided anger.

And Megan can’t help it – she stands reaches out and just holds an arm out, but Walter ends up practically bouncing off of her. It would have been a little funny if he hadn’t fallen to the ground with a miserable whimper.

“How did you…?”

It’s the first time in her life she’s ever seen Walter afraid of her.

“I’m sorry,” Megan says quietly. “It was the only way for me to stay – me. The only way for me to stay with you.”

Walter keeps looking up at her, the fear bleeding into a mild curiosity, not speaking.

“Are you – mad?” Megan asks quietly. She kneels next to him, feeling unexpected relief when he doesn’t pull away from her.

Walter’s clearly considering it for a minute. “No,” he finally decides. “I’m just – wow, this is incredible. How does this biologically work?”

Happy shrugs. “Beats me. I’m into machines, not flesh and blood.”

Megan giggles. “Well, technically –”

“No!” Walter says, holding out a hand. “We made a rule about no sex jokes in front of me a really long time ago. No blood drinking jokes either.”

“Got it,” Happy says. Megan pouts – she’d wanted to mess with Walter at least a little bit.

“Spoil sport,” Megan grumbles.

“Get used to it,” Happy says pointedly. “You’re stuck with me for a damned long time.”

Megan beams. “Yeah. I know.”

Walter shakes his head. “But how does this even work?” he says. “I mean, can you take your finals when it’s day time? Are you - ,” his voice lowers to a whisper, “are you going to drink my blood?”

“Ew, no!” Megan exclaims. “Gross. You’re my brother. Happy gets it from the blood bank.”

“Of course she does,” Walter says, shaking his head. “I – don’t know how to handle this.”

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad,” Megan says. “That’s a good start.”

Walter nods. “Do you mind if I study you guys?”

“What now?” Happy asks.

“Just – you’re biological make up must be fascinating,” Walter says, and suddenly all the shock in his eyes is replaced by the usual wonder brought about by a new question. “Oh, he’s going to be so interested.”

“No!” Happy says. “You can’t tell your new boyfriend.”

Walter blinks out of his stupor. “How did you…?”

“You got that stupid look,” Happy explains. “Plus, you’re not that into bio. The only person you know who is into biology is that new boy toy of yours.”

“He’s not – ” Walter stops, frowning. “Whatever.”

“What were the boy problems you were having, anyway?” Megan asks, because she’ll do anything to get off the topic of her newly acquired vampirism.

Walter grins. “What to talk about with him that relates to his areas of interest.”

“Don’t tell him I’m a vampire!” Megan insists.

Walter shakes his head. “No,” he assures her, “the conversation will be entirely theoretical.”

“Like your sex life,” Happy says.

“Oh!” Megan laughs with a high five to Happy.

“You guys are awful,” Walter grumbles, but he leaves smiling.

~

The Sunday before finals begin, Megan burns herself out studying all day so she can join Walter and the rest of his club for their last meeting of the year. She’s never been invited before, and she’s dying to meet this mystery man that’s got Walter so over the moon.

“Last meeting of the year!” Megan says, practically leaping out of the dorm room. “Come on, slow poke, get your ass up!”

Happy groans, putting her pillow over her head. “I think I liked you better before you were a vampire.”

“No, you didn’t,” Megan chirps. “I’m now high energy and annoying. It’s the best of both worlds.”

“Let me nap,” Happy whines. “I have a final at six tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Megan scoffs. “Six in the evening. Get your cute ass up. We have shit to do.”

With some good natured grumbling and swearing, Megan gets Happy into presentable clothes (one of Megan’s old shirts and a pair of Batman boxers did not count) and shoves her out the door.

“I’m excited,” Megan says, bouncing along with Happy’s hand in hers, “we might be meeting Walter’s mystery man tonight. Think he’s cute?”

“I think he’s got to be a damned saint to put up with your brother,” Happy says. “Also, I bet they’re adorable together.”

“I hope I don’t hate him like Mark,” Megan says, wrinkling her nose. “God, he was the worst.”

They finally make it to the room where they meet and, without warning, Happy walks in and freezes.

“No,” Happy says, stumbling backward out of the room. “It can’t be you – I’ve got to go.”

The boy with the light hair and happy eyes looks at Walter nervously. “What?” he asks, looking baffled.

“No, I got this,” Megan says, trying to avoid the impulse to bite this kid’s neck. God, is this how it’s going to be with everyone? This is kind of creepy. “I’ll be right back.”

She darts off after Happy at a speed she hadn’t known she had within her, and catches up when Happy turns to sit on a bench, shoulders wracking with sharp breaths.

“Okay, are panic attacks even a thing when you’re immortal and you don’t need to breathe?” Megan asks. “I don’t understand this.”

“That was Tobias,” Happy croaks. “Tobias – the man I – the one before you.”  She’s staring out across campus, eyes seeing pictures of the past. “Megan, that was him.”

“It was not,” Megan says bluntly. “You told me yourself. You went to his funeral. He’s not immortal, Happy.”

Happy turns to Megan. “What?”

“He’s somebody else,” Megan says, rubbing Happy’s back because it’s the only thing that makes sense at this point. “He’s somebody else, Happy.”

Happy presses her face into Megan’s shoulder, and then gives up and curls up into her. “Megan, he looks just like him.”

“I know,” Megan murmurs. Except she really, really doesn’t. “Happy, maybe it’s just a doppleganger situation. Maybe he’s just – I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Happy says. “Yeah, you’re right. I just – I thought…” She shakes her head. “I must have just made it up – all in my head.”

Like nothing ever happened, she stands and holds out her hand to Megan. “How about we go back in there and pretend nothing ever happened.

Megan stands slowly, taking Happy’s hand. “Really?”

Happy nods. “Got a better plan?”

Megan doesn’t, so she walks along, unsurprised when Happy flings open the door, sits down in her usual spot, and opens by turning to Walter’s boy and saying, “So, you’re Walter’s new boyfriend?”

Walter blushes such a bright pink that Megan has to stifle a laugh. “What?” he says. “No, I – this is Toby. Toby Curtis. He’s that neuroscience and psych major.”

Happy grins. “So your new boyfriend, then.” She turns to Toby. “He was really worried he’d offended you with that ‘psychology isn’t a real science’ comment, just letting you know.”

Toby turns to Walter, gleeful. “Oh, so you talk about me?”

“Shut up,” Walter mumbles, folding his arms across his chest, refusing eye contact with any of them. “You guys are terrible.”

“Oh, no, you are,” Megan says. “That’s the second person who’s life’s dream you’ve insulted at this college.” She makes a tsking noise. “First your sister, now your boyfriend.”

“You going to let them do this or are you going to finally ask me, Walt?” Toby asks, big grin on his lips. “By the way, I like them. We should be friends.”

“Done deal, as long as we can keep making fun of my brother,” Megan says. She sticks out her hand. “Megan O’Brien. Good luck with him.”

Toby shakes her hand. “I think your sister just made this official, Walter.”

Walter mumbles something incoherent.

They all stare at him. “What?”

“Toby will you be my boyfriend,” Walter mutters, clearly trying not to look at anybody.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you,” Toby says, leaning in. “What?”

“Oh, for the love –” Walter leans over and kisses Toby right on the lips, and there’s an astonishment in Toby’s eyes that makes him look fifteen years old until he settles.

And that’s when Megan looks away, because it’s weird to see your little brother kissing somebody. Ew.

“Okay,” Toby says, sounding dazed. “I’m your boyfriend now.”

“Can I look?” Megan asks. “Or am I going to be scarred for life?”

“You’re good,” Happy says, clapping her on the back.

“Anyway,” Happy says, “Now that we’re back in order, let’s get to business.” She pulls off her hat, and her long hair tumbles down her back.

And that’s when Toby’s face becomes puzzled.

“I know you from – somewhere…” He trails off. “Have we met before?”

Happy’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Happy, it’s not –”

“Holy…” Toby says. “There’s a picture – a picture of my dad, with his uncle Tobias – the guy I’m named after – and a woman –” he blinks. “It’s true.”

Megan looks between Happy and Toby, and then at Walter, who looks just as confused as she feels.

“You’re her,” Toby finally says. “Oh, my god, you’re her!”

“I’m who now?” Happy asks, eyes shooting into her hairline.

Toby laughs. “You’re real,” he sighs. “You’re a vampire. You’re _the_ vampire.”

Happy looks floored. “What?”

“He told me about you!” Toby says, looking excited. “Oh, man, he told me a bunch of rad bedtime stories about the stuff you two got up to.” He’s acting like an overexcited puppy now, whereas Happy kind of looks like she’s disturbed. She steps toward Megan.

“Are you pulling my leg?”

“Are you the lady who broke into my great-uncle’s house in the middle of the night in the late 1930’s because you were annoyed he didn’t kiss you goodnight, and ended up breaking his clock?”

Happy blinks. “You’re not kidding me,” she says. “Yeah, I did.” A smile appears on her lip. “He said he was worried we were running out of time and –”

“you threw his own pillow at him,” Toby finishes for her. “Are you still as adverse to puns?”

“Yes,” Megan laughs. “You could say she finds them punbelievably bad.”

The entire room groans.

“What?” Megan asks. “That was funny!”

“Was not,” Happy says. “Do you people see what I put up with?”

“I had to live with it for years,” Walter grumbles.

“Yeah?” Happy says. “Well, I’m stuck with it for life.”

Megan beams. “Hell yeah, you are.”

The meeting devolves into exchanges of stories, laughter, and gentle embarrassment (at least, when Megan explains the time Walter, at age two, ran into a dinner party completely naked to announce he could read, it was awkward for Walter.)

“I knew it!” Toby says. “You were the one who snagged that tea cup!”

Happy shrugs. “Tobias said I could have it back then, so I took it. It’s on my bedside right now.”

“It’s a small world after all,” Megan singsongs, and it’s just silly enough that they all dissolve into laughter again.

“Well then,” Walter says, trying to remain professional. “My boyfriend’s great uncle used to date my sister’s girlfriend, who is a vampire, just like my sister. Great. If we could move on from that, I’d like to discuss the plans for next semester and how to increase recruitment. If Sly, Cabe, and Paige would just get here...”

Megan rolls her eyes. “God, you’re boring.”

“Good,” Toby says, grabbing Walter’s hand. “I’ve always needed somebody to balance out my stunning personality.”

Happy snorts. “Just like your damned uncle.”

“Is this gonna get weird?” Megan asks, pointing from Happy to Toby. “Because if you leave me for my boyfriend’s brother, I’m going to vamp your ass.”

“That’s the weirdest sentence you’ve ever said,” Walter says sincerely.

“Only that you’ve heard,” Megan fires back.

The night dissolves into laughter and joy, Christmas carols ringing in from the a capella group that practices next door to them, and Megan begins to think that maybe, just maybe, she had to become supernatural to become anything like normal. And, she thinks as she takes Happy’s hand and rests her head on her shoulder, she doesn’t think it could have gone any better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies <3


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